Zefer Dosladapen
Zefer "Shining Lute" Dosladapen is the captain of Thomocemir's skirmishers. He is a versatile warrior of incredible skill, both with a sword and a bow, and commands a small squad of light skirmishers and scouts on the eastern border. He is mostly known as Odlug's slayer. Early life Zefer is born in year 121 in Aslamita, a small hamlet on the western shores of the interior sea. His parents, Sug and Jalew, were very minor noblepeople, essencially living as commoners. Zefer was the fourth kid of his siblinghood, coming after three sisters : Apba, Setoc and Inspuz. At the time of his birth, his mother - Sug, was working as a cook while his father became a small time poet. His fourth sister, Ases, was born in 124, and shortly after, his father took a one year trip around the world. When he came back, in autumn 126 it was to move his family to the fledging fort of Tetzobsha. Life in the border fort was significantly harder for the small family, as they had to perform tasks they were not familiar with, and sleep in common rooms without much in terms of privacy. His elder sister, Apba, moved in and out of Tetzobsha with her husband, a man of the name of Asin. She arrived in 127, and left in 132 for Thomocemir, where her husband has been promized an administrative position. In spring 133, decided by the lack of opportunity in Tetzobsha, Zefer's family decided to join Apba in Thomocemir. Zefer was approaching his twelfth year, and was soon to be considered an adult by pearlite standards. Military career The archer squad Zefer joins the army of Thomocemir at an early age, as the border fort was experimenting new fighting methods. In (date unknown), a firing platform was built on the main keep, allowing a squad of archers to fire on incoming invaders, while remaining protected inside the wooden keep. Alongside other villagers, Zefer was trained as an archer by the huntress Jamila Thakomimo, and made to man the archery platform. However, the effectiveness of the archer squad was soon deemed insuffiscient compared to the results of on-the-ground melee squads such as Pathril's frontliners and Imic's knights. In the battle of 136, due to heavy losses suffered by the main squads, the archer squad had to be deployed on the ground to lend a direct assistance. Although it succeeded at taking the heat off of the rest of the army, it was attacked directly by riderless beakdogs and suffered losses. During the fight, Zefer managed to kill a beakdog, which was standing over Jamila and trashing her on the ground. Jamila survived the assault, but suffered permanent wounds on the arm, preventing her to use a bow anymore. Zefer was sent to replace losses in Imic's knight squadron. Thomocemir's archers were disbanded soon after. The training ground Zefer's time spent with the knights taught him a lot about swordmanship, and the young man proved himself very skilled. After a few months of training, he was sent to a newly created training squadron, under the leadership of Thratnu Asrifensast, where he acted essentially as a second swordteacher. His mission, from now on, would be to train the youths of Thomocemir to battle from an early age, either to prepare them to a military career or - should they pursue a civilian career - to unexpected encounters with hostile forces or wildlife. Zefer was seen as an effiscient and reliable teacher, taking great care of his students. In year 138, after a battle, a troll managed to lock itself in the knight barracks. With the regular army busy giving the case to a retreating Osmite force, Zefer and his captain, Thratnu, are sent to take care of it. Zefer is hurled by the beast through the windows during the fight, but otherwise unharmed and the troll was taken care of by Thrathnu. It was during his time as a junior sword teacher that he met Donu Radiushus that he was to marry a couple years later.